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It's incredible what hanging around other motivated creative aspirational people can do for you spirit. I recently came back from California where I was hanging out in Los Angeles and then Anaheim, California for VidCon. I visited friends from school who are out in LA hustling, and saw youtube friends whose work I admire. In this video I recap my trip and also reflect on how VidCon is inspiring my career in a particular direction. Here's to perusing your dreams.

If you tied me up, held me down, and FORCED me to name my favorite music artist - it would be tough - but I’d probably say Musiq Soulchild. I love me some neo-soul, and I was raised on r&b. So when one of my girlfriends asked if I wanted to go to a Musiq concert - I was instantly in.

Since I've been back, I've been told countless times that D.C. is a networking town. From what I've seen, they do it well. I've been pursuing opportunities to mix and mingle and have had a really good time of it so far. As someone fairly new to adulthood, it's bizarre having to get my ID checked so that I can enter the place I'm hanging out, but most of these parties were 21+. I went to all but one party alone. My goals were to meet new people, find out what's going on in D.C., meet other creatives, and figure out which associations are worth joining. The ratings below are based on those goals. Here's what I found:

I was lucky to be able to catch 2 YouTube Creator days, one in Boston and one in D.C. Creator Days are events facilitated by YouTube to connect and educate creators in places around the world that don't have a YouTube spaces. Both days I attended were held on a Friday from around 9am-5pm. The timing surprised me because I'd suppose that most people who are on YouTube aren't doing it full time, meaning they probably have a job to work during those hours, but people still made it out. Both Creator Days were held in the local Google offices, and were free to attend.

I was so excited from VidCon that immediately afterwards I signed up for the next video convention that I could. That convention was Playlist Live D.C. It was only a month after VidCon so I was still riding that high when I arrived in D.C. Playlist D.C. made me realize that the Green brothers over at VidCon do a wicked good job. Like really outstanding.

Not to say that Playlist D.C. was definitively worse, it just catered to a different audience. And that audience was white girls 5 to 10 years younger than myself....

Instagram

Just out here in these YouTube streets tryna be somebody with your girl @halleasebeast. Went to the DC #YouTubePopUpSpace last week and it was nice hanging with creator friends and making new ones, chatting with policy people about the impact of YouTube, and, oh yeah, meeting YouTube’s CEO. So basically just a casual weeknight. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I do think that the power YouTube has to reach people’s hearts and minds is incredible, and it’s awesome to see the work YouTube is doing around social good. I’m hoping that the videos I make on my channel inspire you to think consciously and compassionately about how you walk through the world, and that the videos I help make at @pbsds help you think critically about the world you walk through. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Here’s to being a part of the change you want to see. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#YouTubeLife #MakersGonnaMake #BeAChaoticGood #YouTubePopUp #CalledToBeCreative #YoungBlackArtists #ShineTheory

Happy #InternationalWomensDay! For me, having a sisterhood is vital. Thanks to this darling, I always know that there’s someone right there with me, my ride or die, someone to inspire who also inspires me. And whether it was growing up in Girl Scouts, surviving in college, or getting along in the workplace, there have been support systems of wonderful women every step of the way. .
👭👭👭 .
We are strong. We are powerful. We know no bounds. .
💁‍♀️💁‍♀️💁‍♀️ .
Glad to see everyone showing love today. And shoutout to my A1 since day 1 - love you to Brazil and back 😉
#IWD2019 #InternationalWomensDay2019 #CelebratingWomen #sisterhood👭 #BlackGirlMagic

Had a candid convo about queer identity and shifting privilege during transition with @jackisnotabird ! Video link in the description! .
🎬🏳️‍🌈✨
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We got to hang out at @youtube in San Bruno this past December and it was a fun time. Be sure to check out Jack’s channel as well. He makes primarily #LGBTQ videos for thoughtful nerds, and he also sometimes does weird things with waffles 😉
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🥞🥓🥞(where’s the waffle emoji when I need it)
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#proudtocreate #intersectionality #checkyourprivilege #privilege #queersofinstagram #lgbtq🌈 #youtubelife

Hold on to what sparks joy and let go of the rest. ✨
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Going through a #KonMari declutter of my ENTIRE life in my latest video (link in bio). #MarieKondo’s method applies to more than just physical stuff. 📂👚🧶
#Declutter #sparkjoy #tidyingup #konmarimethod #mariekondomethod

Happy #ValentinesDay to all my single ladies! Remember to practice a little #selflove today too 😘. A year later I’m still singing the same personal-pick-me-up tune - “Every Single Valentines Day” (link in bio)
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💜❤️💝💖
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#loveyourself #alonenotlonely #valentinesday2019 #allmysingleladies #immyownvalentine